Derbyshire teen scoops job with famous chef Heston Blumenthal

Gay Bolton

An award-winning teenager has cooked his way to a dream job with famous chef Heston Blumenthal.

James Greatorex, 19, of Inkersall, will start work this month at Blumenthal’s restaurant Fat Duck in Berkshire where customers pay £255 for a unique dining experience.

His big break comes on the back of winning Young Chef of the Year at Chesterfield Food and Drink Awards in 2015.

James was a student at the time of the award and impressed Chris Mapp from the Tickled Trout in Barlow, who gave him a job which enhanced the skills he was learning at college.

James said: “Working in a professional kitchen, studying at college and taking part in the Young Chef of the Year competition has really helped me to get to this stage in my career.

“I learned skills at college that I hadn’t seen before and then was able to put them into practice in a commercial environment at work.

“The competition taught me a lot about cooking under pressure and was good practice for when I did my trial at the Fat Duck.”

Ian Matthews, college lecturer, said: “When James came for his interview before he started his course it was clear that he had massive potential. For someone of his age, the way he spoke about food, the recipes he’d worked on and his drive to work in the industry stood out. I am not surprised that he has been snapped up by such a high profile restaurant so early in his career and we know he’ll go on to achieve great things.”